Skip to content
Pawhopper
Plan a tripCountriesGuidesHow we verifyReport a mistake

Exit guide

Taking a dog or cat out of Kenya: official requirements

What Kenya asks before a dog or cat leaves: the steps and their timing, every destination with how long it takes, and coming back.

Rules checked up to 13 October 2026From 2 official pages

Exit rules: short summary, under reviewAuthority: Directorate of Veterinary Services
Make my dated plan

In short

Limited official guidance. Directorate of Veterinary Services publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Kenya's Directorate of Veterinary Services doesn't publish its export procedure for pets on its own website. We use KenTrade's InfoTrade description of the international veterinary certificate for dogs and cats (VS16), last updated in 2022. It gives no processing time, doesn't say how long before departure to apply, and lists a copy of the destination's import permit for every export. Confirm with the Directorate (infodvs@kilimo.go.ke) before you travel.

Under review. Part of this process is not yet confirmed. Ask the official authority how it works for your route.

Prefer a feed reader? Kenya rule changes

Show only the rules for your pet

Choose your animal and where it is going, and this page hides the rules that can’t apply. Rules that depend on your pet’s age or your route stay, marked “Applies when”.

Going to

Leaving Kenya

The steps

What the authorities in Kenya ask before your pet leaves, mostly the health certificate and who has to sign or endorse it.

  1. Vet exam

    Health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board

    A vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board examines your pet and issues a veterinary health certificate. You upload a copy of it, with a copy of your pet's vaccination certificate, when you apply for the export certificate.

    Details and the official words

    “Issued by registered veterinarians with Kenya Veterinary Board.”

  2. Official stamp

    International veterinary certificate (VS16) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services

    Apply online on KenTrade's Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP) for the international veterinary certificate for dogs and cats (VS16), issued per consignment. You need a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) number and copies of the vet's health certificate, the vaccination certificate and the import permit from the destination country; for the European Union, also a copy of the EU health certificate. Pay the processing fee (up to KES 500 per pet) by M-PESA or at the bank, then receive the certificate on the platform.

    Details and the official words

    Processing fee: KES 0 to 500 per pet (KenTrade's estimate). M-PESA paybill 522522, account 1106972791.

    InfoTrade lists a copy of the destination's import permit for every export. If your destination doesn't issue one (EU countries and the UK, for example), ask DVS what to upload instead.

    “The certificate is processed through the Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP), and is issued per consignment.”

    “Unique consignment reference (UCR) number”

    “From the country of destination.”

    “EU export health certificate (copy)”

    “For MPESA payments, the paybill number is 522522 and the account number is 1106972791.”

    “KES 0 - KES 500 per pet”

From the rule file

When each step happens

The timing rules for each step, in plain words. The planner turns them into dates for your flight.

  • Health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board

    • On or before the day of the health certificate

Worked out from the rules

Where you can go from Kenya, and how long it takes

How each destination we cover treats pets from Kenya, as its authority names the group, and the least time its official waits allow. Tap a destination for the full route.

47 destinations

Destination (dogs)Your pet’s group there · entry feesAlready vaccinatedNothing done yet
No official wait · 9Bahrain, Canada, China, Costa Rica…BahrainEntry fees: 5 BHDAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitCanadaCountry not on Canada’s rabies-free listAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitChinaunder reviewNon-designated country or regionAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitCosta RicaAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitIndonesiaunder reviewEntry fees: 25,000 IDRAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitMexicoAny other countryAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitPeruEntry fees: 98.60 PENAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitSouth KoreaCountry not on South Korea’s rabies-free listAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official waitVietnamAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: No official wait
Up to a month · 17Ecuador, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Argentina…EcuadorAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 2 weeksMalaysiaNon-scheduled countryEntry fees: 40 MYRAlready vaccinated: 2 weeksNothing done yet: 2 weeksSaudi ArabiaAlready vaccinated: 2 weeksNothing done yet: 2 weeksArgentinaAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 3 weeksBrazilAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 3 weeksColombiaEntry fees: 78,200 COPAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 3 weeksUruguayAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 3 weeksUnited Arab EmiratesCountry not on the UAE’s low-risk listEntry fees: 700 AEDAlready vaccinated: 1 dayNothing done yet: 3 weeksChileAlready vaccinated: 5 daysNothing done yet: 3 weeksThailandunder reviewAlready vaccinated: 3 weeksNothing done yet: 3 weeksPhilippinesunder reviewAlready vaccinated: 2 weeksNothing done yet: 4 weeksDominican RepublicAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 4 weeksMoroccounder reviewAny other countryAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 4 weeksSouth Africaunder reviewCountry whose dogs are quarantinedEntry fees: 230 ZARAlready vaccinated: No official waitNothing done yet: 4 weeksQatarAlready vaccinated: 3 daysNothing done yet: 4 weeksPanamaEntry fees: 65 USDAlready vaccinated: 5 daysNothing done yet: 4 weeksIndiaEntry fees: 1,000 INRAlready vaccinated: 9 daysNothing done yet: 4 weeks
1 to 3 months · 5Israel, United States, Hawaii (US), Hong Kong SAR China…Israelunder reviewAlready vaccinated: 4 daysNothing done yet: 5 weeksUnited StatesCountry at high risk for dog rabiesAlready vaccinated: 4 weeksNothing done yet: 8 weeksHawaii (US)Already vaccinated: 4 weeksNothing done yet: 9 weeksHong Kong SAR ChinaGroup IIIB placeEntry fees: 432 HKDAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 3 monthsTaiwanunder reviewCountry not on Taiwan’s rabies-free listAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 3 months
3 to 6 months · 10Singapore, European Union, Iceland, Northern Ireland (UK)…SingaporeSchedule III countryEntry fees: 50 SGDAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsEuropean UnionUnlisted countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsIcelandCountry Iceland has not approvedEntry fees: 39,633 ISKAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsNorthern Ireland (UK)Unlisted countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsNorwayUnlisted third countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsSerbiaUnlisted countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsSwitzerlandGroup 3 (rabies risk) countryEntry fees: 60 CHFAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsTürkiyeAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsUnited KingdomUnlisted countryAlready vaccinated: about 3 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 monthsOmanEntry fees: 20 OMRAlready vaccinated: about 4 monthsNothing done yet: about 4 months
More than 6 months · 1JapanJapanNon-designated regionAlready vaccinated: about 6 monthsNothing done yet: about 7 months
Not possible, or not covered yet · 5Australia, Bali (Indonesia), Egypt, Kuwait…AustraliaCountry Australia has not approvedAlready vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not possibleBali (Indonesia)Already vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not possibleEgyptunder reviewAlready vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not covered yetKuwaitunder reviewAlready vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not covered yetNew ZealandCountry New Zealand has not approvedAlready vaccinated: —Nothing done yet: Not possible

For a dog; choose Cat above for cats. Grouped by the time for a pet with nothing done yet. “Already vaccinated”: microchipped, with a rabies vaccination still valid. Only the official waiting periods are counted: “No official wait” still means vet visits and paperwork, and appointment times come on top. Hover over a time to see the rule that sets it.

Money

What it costs to leave Kenya

Kenya’s government fees for a pet leaving, exactly as the official pages state them, and what vets and labs in Kenya publish. The destination’s own fees come on top: they are in the table above and on each route.

Government fees when leaving Kenya

No government fee is published on the official pages we use for this trip. That doesn’t always mean it’s free: ask the authority.

What vets and labs charge Not official figures

We have no published vet or lab prices for Kenya yet.

Prices that businesses publish on their own pages, quoted as we read them; yours can differ. Ranges are the lowest to highest of these examples, never our estimate. How we collect prices

Airline fees aren’t included: check your airline’s pet page.

Notes

Good to know

  • The Directorate of Veterinary Services issues the certificate only once the destination's conditions are met and your pet is healthy and free of disease, so find out your destination's requirements first.

Where this comes from

Official sources

Directorate of Veterinary Services, State Department for Livestock Development (Kenya)

Last checked 2026-10-13. Next re-check due by 2026-11-12.

Plan a trip from KenyaReport a mistakeGet rule-change alerts

Questions owners ask

What do I need to take my dog or cat out of Kenya?

On the Kenya side: health certificate from a vet registered with the Kenya Veterinary Board and international veterinary certificate (VS16) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services. The destination’s own requirements come on top; the route pages combine both.

Who signs the export paperwork in Kenya?

Apply online on KenTrade's Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP) for the international veterinary certificate for dogs and cats (VS16), issued per…

How early should I start when leaving Kenya?

It depends on where you go. For a dog with nothing done yet, the official waiting periods allow Bahrain, Canada and Costa Rica in no official wait, and Japan in about 7 months. Vet and appointment times come on top.

How this page is made

The explanations are ours, in plain English. Every rule, number and quote about a country comes from a rule file we have checked word for word against the government’s own page, and it changes when that page changes. Rules are summarised, not legal advice: confirm with the authority and your vet before you travel. How we verify · Report a mistake

Read next

Turn this into dates for your pet

Where from, where to, when. You get every step with its deadline and the official page it comes from.

Make a dated plan